China could offer an island to house the Rohingya

This is becoming a game of human pass-the-parcel with no one willing to be left holding responsibility for the migrants. Ban Ki-moon asked us to give boat people “human dignity and basic rights” while Myanmar refused to acknowledge Rohingya and regarded all as Bengali. The meeting on May 29 as cleverly and timely called for by PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha has created hope of a solution. That is a great test for the Asean Community in 2016.

I humbly propose that, to untie this knot, China should be invited to the coming regional meeting on May 29. One proposal could be for China to pick one of the uninhabited islands that they are in dispute with one of the Asean member-countries to accommodate the Rohingya at sea. The settlement island could be jointly managed by both countries or via the UN Refugee Agency. The basic infrastructure could be funded by the United Nations while running costs could be borne by Asean plus China.

If implemented, territorial disputes with China could be lessened in the name of cooperation for humanity.

Songdej Praditsmanont